Happy Holidays!

Even as the winter rains help fill our reservoirs, we warmly invite you to enjoy the trails and views around the Peninsula watershed this holiday season! No trail closures are planned.

Happy Holidays from our family to yours!

Turtles Returned to Homestead

Patrick Kobernus with Western pond turtle

Earlier this month, SFPUC’s Crystal Springs Bioregional Habitat Restoration (BHR) project returned 11 Western pond turtles to Homestead Pond in the Peninsula watershed following restoration work.

Patrick Kobernus, the lead biologist on the project, was pleased to see that “the pond already has good food resources such as tree frog eggs and plants. Other wildlife have moved back into the pond and are already breeding.”

The turtles were relocated before habitat restoration began, as required by the California Department of Fish and Game. The watershed’s only native turtle species, these Western pond turtles spent 5 months at a care facility run by the Silicon Valley Turtle and Tortoise Club.

SFPUC environmental staff is monitoring the 8 female and 3 male reptiles.

The habitat restoration work at Homestead Pond, designed to mimic other ponds in the area, involved the removal of non-native plants and increasing the size of the pond. The enlarged pond provides more habitat for turtles, the California red legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake, among other native wildlife. Revegetation is continuing at the site.

Western pond turtle returning to Homestead Pond

Native Plants Take Root; Trails Remain Open

Revegetation and native plant restoration will take place on and near the Crystal Springs Regional Trail this winter and through the spring. We schedule this work according to rain impacts, weather forecasts and the needs of individual plant species.  We will send you regular updates throughout the work.

The trails are all open, with no scheduled closures at this time. Enjoy the trails!

Please subscribe (see box on right) for automatic email updates about any necessary trail closures.

Crystal Springs Trail Reopens

Crystal Springs Trail south of Edgewood Road is NOW OPEN and is accessible by the temporary trailhead. Seeding with native plants around the trail has been completed. Landscaping activity will continue through winter with native plants like oak trees and willows. Crews will continue work in the area to complete this Bioregional Habitat Restoration project by spring of 2013.

Sawyer Camp Trail Closed on Monday, November 19

Sawyer Camp Trail will be closed all day on Monday, November 19, as crews prepare the trail for winter storms and continue replanting. The trail will reopen by sunrise on Tuesday, November 20.

Planning a hike on Sawyer Camp Trail after your big Thanksgiving meal? No construction work is expected during the long holiday weekend. Enjoy!

Seasonal replanting will take place in December and January. Please subscribe (see right) for automatic email updates about any necessary trail closures.

Sawyer Camp Trail Now Open

Sawyer Camp Trail has reopened after a two-day closure.

We do not expect any additional trail closures through early next week, and the tentative partial trail closure planned for Saturday (November 10) will not be needed.

Hydroseeding and replanting along the trail will continue through November, with increased truck traffic on the trail weekdays. Please subscribe (see right) for automatic email updates on any necessary trail closures during this work. Our project team will make every effort to keep the entire trail open.

Please call us 24-hours a day at (866) 973-1476 with any questions or concerns.

Sawyer Camp Trail Open Friday and Saturday, Closed Monday and Tuesday (November 5 and 6)

The trail closures planned for this Friday and Saturday have been postponed due to weather. Instead, the entire trail will be closed for replanting on Monday and Tuesday, November 5 and 6.

The revegetation project underway along Sawyer Camp Trail is time-sensitive and must be completed in November, prior to winter storms.

Hydroseed trucks may be present on the trail weekdays while the trail is open. All vehicles on Sawyer Camp Trail will follow the 5 mph speed limit.  

Additional trail closures are expected in November, including a tentative partial closure on Saturday, November 10^th. Please subscribe to this site (see right) to receive automatic email updates, or follow us on Twitter: @sawyercamptrail.